The Fast Way to Hard Muscle

The formula for building a better body is simple: You need a smart workout, done consistently. I've supplied the smart part, with this eight-exercise routine. It's what I give to my high-profile clients when they need fast results for a film role or concert tour. Although it looks basic, the program is designed using cutting-edge training techniques.

Of course, I can't help you with the consistency factor—that's all you. But consider this: British researchers found that men who performed three strength-training workouts a week increased their muscle size by 0.2 percent a day. That may not sound like much, but it's the accumulation over time that will take you from scrawny to brawny. So think of every workout as an investment in your body: Build a little every day, and you'll be loaded with muscle in no time.

6-Week Plan

Directions: Perform this workout 3 days a week with at least a day of rest between sessions. Alternate exercises of the same number (1A and 1B, for example) until you complete all the sets in that pairing. Only then should you move on to the next pairing.

Weeks 1 and 2

Volume and rest: Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions of every exercise, resting 45 seconds between each set and exercise pair.

Rep speed: Aim for a lifting tempo of 1 second up and 3 seconds down for all exercises except 3A, which calls for exploding up.

Weeks 3 and 4

Volume and rest: Perform 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps for all exercises except 4A and 4B, which remain at 3 sets. (The added challenge for these come from using a weight or medicine ball for 4A and a decline bench for 4B.) Rest 60 seconds between sets and exercise pairs.

Rep speed: Aim for a lifting tempo of 1 second up and 3 seconds down for all exercises except 3A, which calls for exploding up.

Weeks 5 and 6

Volume and rest:Perform 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps for all exercises except 4A and 4B, which remain at 3 sets. (The added challenge for these come from using a weight or medicine ball for 4A and a decline bench for 4B.) Rest 90 seconds between sets and exercise pairs except 4A and 4B, which remain at 60 seconds.

Rep speed: Aim for a lifting tempo of 1 second up and 3 seconds down for all exercises except 3A, which calls for exploding up.